766 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 12, 1903 
WORK OF THE WEEK. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Capsicums and Chilies should now be removed from the 
cold frames and arranged near the glass in a warm house or 
heated pit to> perfect the ripening of their fruits. Many of 
these are extremely beautiful when well grown and laden with 
fruits for decorative purposes, and will continue in good con¬ 
dition, if kept free from red spider and green aphis, for the 
greater part, of the winter. Weak doses of manure water 
should be given them every other watering, and the foliage 
thoroughly syringed with tepid water daily, morning and after¬ 
noon, during bright weather. Each plant should be< well sup¬ 
ported with one neat green,-painted stick, to which should be 
looped in as natural a. manner as possible the. side growths. 
Mushroom beds which have been, made up in cellars: and cold 
sheds should now be yielding good crops. Any which are 
showing signs of distress will derive much benefit if a, good 
soaking of farmyard liquid manure is applied, using the same 
in a warm state. 
Continue to prepare material, and make up fresh beds in, the 
Mushroom house proper, but, avoid using fire-heat for some 
time to come. This can hardly be too much impressed on 
the beginner, a,si 1 firmly believe that more causes of failure 
may be traced to, excessive firing than, to any other cause ; 
only in severe weather should the valves be turned on, and then 
just sufficiently to warm the pipes, otherwise the quality of 
the, Mushrooms, will be poor, and the beds quickly become ex¬ 
hausted. When it can, be so arranged, I much prefer placing 
in the house fresh manure, and when turned every morning 
will generally keep the structure sufficiently warm, the steam 
and ammonia being conducive to the growth, of good produce. 
Beetroot. — The past wet season has, been very favourable to 
the growth of this crop, and there is, a. danger of the larger- 
growing kinds, becoming too large; medium-sized roots, are 
always preferable to the coarser specimens, and when suffi¬ 
ciently large enough these should be taken up and stored in 
sand or ashes, under a north wall, where they will keep in a 
perfectly fresh condition, and when severe weather is likely to 
set in store them away in a, place, of safety. In lifting Beetroot, 
care should be exercised not, to break the top, root or in any 
way cause them to bleed, or the quality will be much impaired. 
Globe Artichokes. —All heads: of these should be cut as they 
become fit, and if the ends are placed in water and stood in a 
cool place, such as a cellar, these will last in good condition 
and be fit for use for some time, and by not distressing the 
plants they will continue to throw up fresh heads of the best 
quality till frost puts an end to them. 
Carrots. — The main sowing of these, both of the stump- 
rooted and intermediate kinds, will now require to, be lifted, 
otherwise many of them will split, and be worthless. Unfor¬ 
tunately, this crop has, been anything but a, success this year 
in many parts, of the country, except the very early and later 
sowings. The latter, which were sown on warm borders, appear 
to be healthy, and will prove to be very serviceable for supply¬ 
ing young roots,. Dust frequently with soot, and keep the sur¬ 
face soil stirred up with the, Dutch hoe, to promote a quick 
growth. Where young Carrots are appreciated, as, they are in 
many places, the seed of the, smaller, quick-maturing kinds 
should now be sown on very mild hot-beds or in, heated pits 
facing south. These will give very serviceable, roots, during 
winter. _ _ • 
Leeks. —Continue to blanch the late plantings of these in 
the same way as advised for the earlier ones, and they will be 
found very useful for late spring use. 
Perfect, blanching of this wholesome vegetable, should always 
be insisted on, care being taken not to allow the soil to get, 
between the axils of the leaves, otherwise it will be veiy difficult 
to eradicate, and they will probably be gritty when, cooked. 
Radishes. — These are particularly good just now, the damp, 
cool weather being very favourable to quick growth. Make 
two or three sowings during the month in cold frames, removing 
the lights when the weather is favourable. Varieties which 
are being cultivated for the winter, such as Black Spanish and 
China Rose, should be kept well thinned and the soil con¬ 
stantly kept stirred between them. Never allow them to 
suffer for want of water at the roots and damp overhead in 
bright weather. E. Beckett. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
Notes on Hardy Plants. 
Bulb planting —From this time onward till late in autumn 
the planting of spring bulbs will engage the attention of cul¬ 
tivators of this, beautiful class of plants, and fortunate indeed 
are those who, have an ideal soil for the purpose. It is then 
necessary to lift and divide the bulbs occasionally, as they in¬ 
crease quickly year by year, but, when one lias to deal with a 
similar soil to what we, have here—that is, a heavy London 
clay—some trouble must be taken to produce a, satisfactory 
display, and to accomplish this the old soil will have to be 
taken out and that of a suitable nature added, a good mellow 
loam answering well. A thorough drainage must also be 
given, as there is nothing bulbs resent more than water lying 
round them during winter and when, they are resting, which 
naturally causes, speedy decay. When planting bulbs in the 
gra,s,s, by the side, of carriage drives, or by the woodland walks, 
the layer of grass, should be carefully removed with a spade, 
the fresh soil added, if necessary, the bulbs placed in, about 
3 in, or 4 in. deep, and the turf carefuly replaced, so that the 
surface does not appear to have been disturbed. As to hov 
many bulbs are to be planted in a, place the size of the hola 
must determine, but in all cases sufficient space should be left 
for them to increase, and, when planting in positions like 
those mentioned above, let the batches, or clumps be placed 
about as, irregularly as possible, with no, attempt to have them 
in straight lines. 
Pentstemons. — Cuttings are now appearing plentifully on 
these, and can be got, in without delay. Medium-sized boxes 
which hold about 4 in. of soil should be used, taking care that, 
they are thoroughly drained, so as to let water pass, through 
freely. A suitable, compost, will consist of loam and leaf soil 
in equal proportions, with sufficient silver or road sand to keep 
it open. Pres® fairly firm when filling the boxes, and whether 
the cuttings are put in with a heel or out off close to a joint, 
they will strike equally well. Damp over when finished and 
place in a cold frame, keeping it close for a few days, but admit 
air freely afterwards, and remove the lights altogether in the 
daytime, when the weather will permit. It, is not necessary to 
induce these to make much growth during winter, the best 
results being obtained from short,, stocky plants. Give water 
only when it, is reouired, for if the soil is allowed to become 
saturated many will probably damp off or rot, Pentstemon> 
greatly disliking winter dampness. Where it is intended to 
save the seed, this can be done as, soon, as the pods are brown, 
tying the stalks in bunches, and hanging them up somewhere 
to dry. 
Violas. —The cuttings of these can also be taken at any 
time now, and a, cold frame should be devoted to> them for 
wintering in. A mixture of loam and leaf soil, with plenty oi 
road sand included, will suit, them well. Keep the lights off 
during favourable weather, but, protect against frost. A dint 
ing of sulphur in mild weather will prevent any mildew making 
its appearance. If there is a, scarcity of cuttings of anv variety 
the old plants, may be lifted, divided, and planted in, the frame 
^Herbaceous Phloxes. —Tire wet weather of the present, yea 
has been most favourable to these, and they have been re 
markablv Good. Cuttings may be taken now or in early sprinG 
and by mowing them on one stem, verv large heads of flowe 
are produced. There are now a, great, number of varieties 
esneciallv among whites. a,nd ns to which the best w jh 
Phlox a, great diversity of opinion exists. Though one of tr 
older varieties, there is nothing, I think, that can suipa 
Virgo Marie when one wishes to produce a fine effect in t 1( . 
